Badwater 135 Recap: Cellulitis, Open Fuel, and a T-Rex in Lone Pine
About this episode
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The turn has tabled! This time Peter interviews Kevin about his Badwater 135. After years of saying he'd never run it, Kevin crewed Francis in 2024 and Peter in 2025, then decided he had to see what it felt like to cross Death Valley on foot. He started the 9 PM wave feeling the best he'd ever felt in a race. He ran sub-10 miles in 118°F heat and hit mile 50 by sunrise. Around mile 20, though, a mild pain in his lower left shin started and steadily got worse. He held on through Towne Pass, Father Crowley, and the long flat stretch to Lone Pine, reached mile 100 in under 21 hours, and ground up the Whitney Portal Road to finish in just under 31 hours. A few hours later, the ER in Lone Pine diagnosed cellulitis.
We also cover:
- Kevin's 18-hour, 21-minute 100-mile PR and Western States qualifier at Canal Corridor 100, and Peter's truly untrained 73 miles
- Heat acclimation from altitude training in Leadville plus sauna sessions
- Kevin's fueling plan: about 70g of carbs per hour with Open Fuel and gels
- The Badwater hotel puzzle that comes before the race itself
- Peter's birthday unicycle
- Starlink in Death Valley, walkie-talkie mischief, and Chris's homemade battery-powered misting pack
- A surprise dinosaur in Lone Pine
- The ER trip, a "syphilis" scare, and a recovery drive to Bishop (with a stop at Schat's)
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